Question of the (Happy New) Month: What ISN’T your New Year Resolution for 2025?”

[Yesletsgo]

UPDATE: So, at the end of the month have you managed not to make any other Resolutions? Here's to February, longer days and better weather (I hope 🤞🤞🤞)

If I was being lazy with this month’s Question it would be, ‘What’s your New Year’s Resolution?’ (in the interest of complete honesty and transparency that was my initial idea lol. Give me a break, we just had Christmas!!)

So I started playing with the idea, resolutions and what they are supposed to achieve.

January can be a tough month. December and the Christmas period can leave us over fed and under financed. If we’ve had a wonderful Christmas in the bosoms of those we love best it can all feel a bit flat come early January. If Christmas wasn’t that great it’s even worse.

Now add in the idea that we suddenly have to reform ourselves for this brand new year ahead. It’s cold, dark and miserable outside (or if you’re in the southern hemisphere, maybe it’s just too hot to think for you?) – no wonder it’s so easy to duck beneath the duvet and eat another chocolate (or crack open another cold one under the aircon, southerners).

Ideas like Veganuary, Dry January, taking out a gym membership, resolving to keep a daily diary etc etc etc are all laudable, but how much more tempting it is to just say ‘resolutions are for breaking’ and have a bag of crisps and a glass of something nice and curl up in front of the telly?

So, as my own resolutions should probably include avoiding the laziness of the very obvious, the Question for January is…..“What ISN’T your New Year Resolution for 2025?”

Mine: I resolve NOT to beat myself up for taking an extra day or three between my runs. Just to clarify, I’m not giving myself a free pass for the ‘I really need a run but I can’t be bothered getting out there’ days. This is about the times when the only sensible and/or feasible solution is not to run. Life circumstances, work or family commitments, injury or significant twinges, real tiredness or maybe the weather is just plain hostile.

The longer I go between runs, the more temptation there is to give into the voices in my head. They say, ‘I’m not a proper runner, I’ll never do this, I’m failing.’ The simple truth is they are wrong. If any of those things were true I wouldn’t be fretting about it, I’d just change the channel and eat another biscuit with a clear conscience. So this year I’m not going to dwell on the runs I can’t or didn’t do, I’m going to make sure the runs which I manage really count.

So what won't YOU be doing this year??

PS New Year’s Day hasn’t always been 1st January, it used to be in March or April. If you really want to start giving up bad habits and form good ones it can be so much easier in the springtime. Dry March doesn’t sound too bad at all and who knows, maybe Vegapril could catch on!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator]

Ooh I like this! As I’m injured (again!!) I’m resolving not to hold on to plans and goals too tightly. I like having goals to keep me on track, but last year was a nightmare for being blown off course by all sorts of things. I’m embracing being flexible and celebrating whatever comes out of that.

There was a post on my Facebook feed this morning I really liked… see photo!

Screenshot of runner celebrating no goals

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Fantastic, the goals and plans are there for us, to remind us what we can do if all goes well but sometimes it doesn't. It's sort of like mindfulness I suppose, when things don't go to as they should we look at the plan, acknowledge it and move on.

Happy New Year and let's see what happens

[nowster Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Oh, yes! I'd forgotten about the Dumb Runner website.

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Need I say that I can totally relate to that photo?!

Let's hope that 2025 will be kinder to you and all the others who've had rotten luck in 2024 😊

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Cmoi]

Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

[GoogleMe Graduate]

What a really good, thought provoking question!

Two things for me which don't quite answer it head on...

The first is that I do not anticipate making a start on (necessary) weight loss efforts until February, there's just too much eating up to be done before that (and waste stresses me)

The other is that I won't, in general, have any resolutions that push for 'more' - further, faster, more often.

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to GoogleMe]

Happy New Year to you GoogleMe . What a sensible attitude. Get January out of the way, get back to routine and then start the tweaking.

By February the days are a little bit longer, the green shoots and spring flowers are appearing and the mood is so much better for things like eating less and getting active.

Those 'more' resolutions, hmm, great when you write them down on paper, so annoying when you find you can't, for whatever reason, manage them (from a woman who has had the NRC 5k plan open on the app for the last couple of months reminding me about what I haven't done...actually, you've inspired me to press the 'end' button, so thank you for that, it's closed. I'm now starting the new year with a new slate )(apart from this of course: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto..., but at least the Group 10k won't be glaring disapprovingly from my phone every time I decide to do a run 😂)

Sorry for all the brackets!!

[nowster Graduate]

My irresolution is not to assume I can do something, and also not to assume that I can't. Whilst I'd like to do a Run Every Day January this year, I foresee there will be days where that's going to be impractical. Take each day as it comes and don't let an opportunity pass by.

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to nowster]

What a great combination of ambition and realism, I wouldn't expect anything less from you nowster

Happy New Year!

[Cmoi Graduate]

Resolutions just trigger feelings of inadequacy, guilt and anxiety in me, so I'm not making any.

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to Cmoi]

That's the all encompassing answer to the Question I suppose 🤔

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

I won't be making a resolution to be stronger. It is exhausting...and not just with reference to running.

I shall make a resolution to be, a tad like MissUnderstanding , much more flexible and letting it be known if I need help.

Expect to see a lot of me here asking for support, please, as I move forward again with my running. x

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to Oldfloss]

Sometimes I wonder about the way 'strong' is just used as a general term of admiration. Yes, it's good to be physically strong but emotionally let's acknowledge that we are human and have weaknesses. If we try too hard to be strong the consequences aren't necessarily good.

One of the reasons we are on this forum is to support each other when the going gets tough. Much better to let it be known we need some help, it's good to both receive and give support.

Thanks for this really important non-Resolution Oldfloss ♥

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate]

Hi Yesletsgo …good question you have put out there…I’m NOT going to put too much pressure on myself either so yes I’m doing RED Jan but if I miss a day I’ll just make up for it another way and not beat myself up about it

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Mummycav]

You'll enjoy. I've done that a few times..but tweaking is the key...and it isn't just running!

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

You know my running journey over these last 7 years Oldfloss …I’ve had my ups and downs & I remember you telling me a good few years ago not to put too much pressure on myself when I miss runs or have walk breaks when I’m running…& you also know how busy I am with my business so I’m going to try tweak that too 🙂 x

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Mummycav]

Good ! You matter ! X

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to Mummycav]

Better to set out to do RED Jan and miss a few days than not to do it and miss all of them 😂

Great non-Resolution Mummycav nice to know I'm not the only person giving myself permission to not strive for over-perfection.

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

😇😇

[RosesAreRed777 Graduate]

This year ( like last) I am not making any resolutions and instead of thinking of all the flaws I may need to fix in myself at the start of the year I will resolve to accept and embrace myself as I am flaws and all. I have spent far too long trying to fit into a perceived mould. I stopped drinking alcohol and started running 2 years ago and have never felt so good and healthy So this year let’s just see where me, myself and I go, warts and all!

[Yesletsgo Administrator in reply to RosesAreRed777]

Great to hear of another really positive non-Resolution.

I stopped drinking for 15 years, best thing I ever did. Since I started again I seem to have pretty much lost the taste for it, and the less I drink, the less I want to.

Good luck for 2025, sounds like you are off to a great start

[RosesAreRed777 Graduate]

Yes it really is a game changer isn’t it.

[Baggieboy61 Graduate]

I won’t be making any resolutions.

[Yesletsgo Administrator]

Here's to February and even less pressure to make resolutions!!😂

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Yesletsgo]

I wholeheartedly approve of this. Feb reset (not resolutions!) has come at the right time for me!